by Jarrett Bell and Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell and Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

Turns out, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's back injury, aggravated during Sunday's 24-23 comeback win against the Washington Redskins, will shelve the 33-year-old quarterback for the rest of the season, a person familiar with Romo's injury told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the medical details were supposed to remain confidential.

ESPN.com first reported the news.

The quarterback suffered a herniated disk, meaning backup Kyle Orton, 35-34 as a starter, will be under center when the 8-7 Cowboys play host to the 9-6 Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday night's win-or-go home showdown for the NFC East division title.

It will be Orton's first start since Kansas City's 2011 regular-season finale.

Despite limping noticeably in the second half as he led the Cowboys back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit, Romo completed 10 0f 13 fourth-quarter passes for 140 yards, buying time with his feet on fourth-and-goal from the Washington 10-yard line when he hit DeMarco Murray for the winning touchdown with 1:08 left.

"It didn't keep him from playing, it won't keep him from playing,'' owner Jerry Jones said Sunday of the injury he described as muscle tightness.

Romo walked gingerly to the postgame lectern. But the quarterback who underwent back surgery to remove a cyst this summer indicated he'd be able to play in Sunday night's winner-take-all regular-season finale.

"I tweaked it in the game,'' Romo said. "For whatever reason, just the twist or whatever it was definitely just made it not feel comfortable.